The New Editorial Gatekeepers: Understanding LLM-based Interfaces, Their Benefits, Risks and Design
Abstract
The article analyses the integration of Large Language Model (LLM)-based interfaces
(editorial LLMs or eLLMs) in scholarly publishing workflows, focusing specifically on
their growing role in editorial screening, manuscript preparation, and peer-review
processes. It assesses the benefits eLLMs offer, including efficiency gains, improved
compliance with journal guidelines, enhanced objectivity, and reduced editorial
workload; and the risks, especially algorithmic biases, false positives and negatives, data
privacy concerns, and potential opacity in automated decision-making. The article then
offers some design recommendations for eLLMs that prioritise transparency, fairness,
and user-centredness, ensuring human oversight remains integral to the editorial
process. It concludes by encouraging a proactive and thoughtful engagement with
these technologies to enhance scholarly publishing rather than undermine its values.